Comparative Essay. Dynamics of Civil War.Thematic Literature Review

The Dynamics of Civil War
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Human history has been characterized by the various civil wars. These civil wars were caused by different factors. Over time, the causes of civil wars, as well as the dynamics of wars, have changed. Various scholars have put more focus on the topic leading to a better understanding. It has been suggested that the post-2003 civil wars are largely different from previous wars due to various reasons. Scholars have also claimed that the political, as well as economic causes of civil wars, have historically been ignored. On the contrary, all the focus has been put on the opportunities of conflict that causes civil wars. Other scholars hold that the post-Cold War, civil wars have been caused by various religious and ethnic antagonisms. This paper seeks to compare the various stands held by different scholars regarding the causes and dynamics of civil war.
In her article, Barbara Walter holds that the post-2003 civil wars differ from the previous civil wars in three main ways. First, she notes that the majority of the post-2003 civil wars took place in countries dominated by Muslims. Moreover, she argues that the rebel groups that fight these wars are driven by various Islamic goals and ideas. Finally, she states that most of the rebel groups pursue transnational instead of national goals as was the case in the previous civil wars. She uses different theories to explain the modern-day civil wars. In the article, she argues that technological advancement, especially the development of Web 2.0 in the early years of the new millennium fueled the many changes witnessed in the following years. For instance, the rise of jihadi groups can be directly attributed to this factor. She further argues that the world will experience more of the new wave of civil wars in the future as a result of the huge amount of data that has been availed to individuals and groups by the Web 2.0. However, the author acknowledges that scholars find it challenging to figure out the extent of the effects of emerging technologies in civil wars. She finally asserts that technology will also play a major role in decisions that will help combat the new wave of civil wars.
As stated earlier, it has been established that contemporary research on the topic of civil war has learned more about opportunities for conflict rather than the economic and political causes of civil war. This claim lies in various questionable empirical and theoretical grounds. Diverting from the tradition of examining the relationship between conflict and individual inequality, researchers in a 2011 study sought to find out the horizontal inequalities between ethnic groups, states, and the involved politics can lead to ethnic-nati...